the directrice 
A year ago, Marc Jacobs announced that it (he?) was eliminating the company’s diffusion line — Marc by Marc Jacobs — and would only produce clothes under the original Marc Jacobs label. This seemed like bad news to me because I really liked the cute clothes made under his youthful, cheaper (though not cheap) … Read more
You know that I wish that I had artistic talent and could make beautiful things? I do. But I cannot. I can only appreciate and collect. So who is Denisa Piatti?
Have you ever found yourself so far behind the times that you wound up on the cutting edge? They say time is an eternally recurring loop. And on another note: The Photographer and I went to the Women’s March on Washington and were astonished and thrilled by the energy in the air. The protestors … Read more
You’ve said that you want to see how I re-use and re-wear my clothes. I hope you meant it, because I can’t show you new clothes every week. I don’t even want to show you new clothes every week because I like the clothes I have now. So, let’s visit the crypt today and … Read more
Do women dress for other women, or for men? Do we care? Is this question worth answering? It’s a little bit interesting. I tend to think that women dress — in general — for other women because women are more likely to take note of, and appreciate, the method and the details.
Despite holding myself out as a pseudo-expert on dressing for work, wardrobe-building, and general efficiency, I have some orphans in my closet. One such orphan is a purple tweed jacket that I bought several years ago from JCrew. I love the color and pattern — an over-sized, diamond herringbone — but . . … Read more
I saw (or think I saw) many more dresses with sleeves in AW2016, and therefore conclude that a trend is building. Women want dresses with sleeves and the market may be responding. Back to business! The search for a red blouse went like this. I visited a few sites where I do my … Read more
Typically, I start these posts with a completed outfit and then break it down. Today, just for variety, we are going to build an outfit up. And now . . . Step 2: A cozy, shrunken cardigan. Just the thing to wear over the blouse. The blouse is constrained, but hardly a hostage. If … Read more
Before we begin, a micro-plea . . . Dear Directrice Readers: One of my 2017 resolutions is to increase the readership of this blog. Could you help me…today? Are you worried that I am about to ask for money? Be not afraid. If you’ve enjoyed this blog over the past two years, would … Read more
I started this blog with the idea of showing clothes that are grounded in reality. So many high-style fashion blogs seem to represent lifestyle fantasies (or perhaps just a clean break with reality) rather than actual clothes and outfits that a professional could wear to work or to socialize. The best example of this … Read more